Chosen
by SmallButPowerful
Summary: She watched the girl with a building excitement - that one would work, that girl was the one who could lead her troops into battle. Soon she would have her revenge.  Rated M for violence.
1. Chapter 1

I stared at myself in the mirror, horror and excitement mixing as I beheld this new form. Red eyes stared back at me, haunted with this change, and I trembled in emotion. Why did she do this to me? As if sensing her presence in my mind, Victoria approached, draping her arm around me and admiring herself in the mirror. "I have to say, you are one of the prettiest vampires I have made, nearly as pretty as myself." She drawled in what passed as wittiness, laughing at the thought that one may exist prettier than her. My eyes narrowed, wondering if I could take her, crush that which taunted me so callously. There was new strength in my limbs, breath in my lungs, and I knew there was enough rage in me to kill this woman, but I withheld, for now. She reached up with a dishonest motherly care, stroking my hair, "And if you are as smart as you are pretty, you will be a valuable asset." A million questions bubbled beneath the surface, wondering what the hell she was talking about, but I decided not to ask, as if my silence would be an effective rebellion. Ridiculous, yes, but at the time it made sense. Victoria was unaware of my feelings, continuing on as if I was listening to her of my own free will, which was a truly laughable thought at the moment. "Maybe you will become my right hand woman." She must be stupider than I thought. "Or should I say, vampire." Was that what I was, a vampire? A mythological creature that fed on blood, found safety in the night, and preyed on humans with demonic power. I never thought that they were real, but as I gazed into my unfamiliar reflection with Victoria eerily observing me, I was ready to believe. She may be a snake, but this was not a lie. I was a vampire.

Despite her senselessness, Victoria's next words chilled me to the bone, "Are you thirsty?" I never knew that three words could change my life forever, complete my transformation into monster, but that's what her words did to me. Something that had been previously ignored came to the forefront of my mind, the thirst. It overpowered me with need, all of my senses catching on fire in the search for a salve. It hurt to stand still and do nothing, I needed to hunt. My eyes flashed to an exuberant Victoria, needing her help, and she cooed with a smile, "Well then come with me, my silent pet." She took my hand and I followed her, unable to do much else. I was led outside, where a million smells assaulted me, but only one drew me in, washed over me and enveloped me completely – the scent of human. He was tied to a tree, and the blood pumped loudly through his veins. There was a split second of hesitation, a faltering moment of quickly fading humanity, and then I was on him. In a second I stood in front of him, grasped his malleable flesh, and sunk my teeth into his neck. The skin broke with unbelievable ease, nearly ripping half of his shoulder off, but I was only after the blood. His skin was sweaty and gross, luckily it was quickly overpowered by warm blood, and I was able to forget the nastiness of the chubby man. The blood was sickeningly good, flooding into my mouth and sliding down my throat. I was in heaven, completely enthralled by the taste. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, but all too soon it was over, blood no longer rising to my lips.

I stepped back, snarling with disgust at the drained body. The ache for blood faded to the background as I turned to Victoria, wondering what she would do to me next. "Now darling, don't look at me like that! I have given you all the power in the world, and eternal life." She smiled at me, a deceivingly sweet turn of her lips. Pivoting on my heel, I turned and began walking away from her. "This power does not come without a price. You are indebted to me, and you may not leave." I stopped in my tracks, always knowing that I would not escape so easily. "Besides, you need me to take care of you, feed you, teach you; I am your creator. Now come, my daughter, and meet your siblings." She took my hand once again, leading me back into the building we had emerged from. It was an old factory, boarded up and three stories tall. I had come out directly from the basement, but I could hear others inside, now that I focused. Their voices were smooth, their laughter a trilling of bells; they sounded like Victoria, and I had no doubt that they were vampires like me. We entered a large room and saw an array of young vampires, some splayed out and talking, two moping in the corners, and a few of them were pacing anxiously along the wall, eyes blood red.

As soon as she entered one nervous girl practically pounced on her, "Victoria I need blood. You promised you'd get me some, but you fed the last guy to her." She hissed the last word, aiming it at me. I narrowed my eyes at the blond, my anger for Victoria suddenly pinning to this new threat, one I had a better chance of beating and no need for. "Don't glare at me you little whore, I was here first!" I snapped when she screeched at me shrilly, leaping forward and catching the girl by her neck. Yanking her around, I slammed her against the ground, snarling as my fangs came in. My opponent's eyes were wide as she struggled under my grip, struggled in vain, for I had a strength she could not match.

Victoria laid her hand calmly on my shoulder, pulling me back. I stood, stepping back and realizing that every eye was on me with a hawk like gaze. The girl I had beat looked at me with a white hot rage, embarrassed and wanting revenge. But I did not shirk from their attention, my new power making me brave, and stupid. "Easy child," Victoria cooed, smoothing my hair, but there was pride in her eyes, I had reacted exactly how she wanted me to and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. "I have arranged for the arrival of more humans, and then you may all feed." Instantly tensions began to calm, the vampires going back to their separate tasks. Victoria's hand left my shoulder, and her power over me weakened; like a lion that had pinned a mouse she let me go for now, only to catch me again later when she wished to play with my life. I looked around the giant warehouse, all the vampire cliques watching me from the corner of their eyes, and noticed that about twenty feet up the rafters were empty. For a second I judged the distance, finding that I could use various boxes or ledges to get up there, and then I climbed. With a few close calls, I swung myself onto the main beam. Lying on my stomach, I closed my eyes and stretched lazily, attempting to forget where I was.

"That was pretty cool down there." The voice spoke so close to me and so suddenly that I jumped, almost falling off of my perch. Sitting on a beam a few feet away from me, was a young guy with spikey hair, and an annoying smirk as I almost plummeted to the factory floor. "I'd been hoping someone would knock some sense into Rose, she's been a pain in the ass since Victoria changed her. I would have done it, but I can't hit a girl." I gave him a long look, then laid my head back down on my arms, and once again closed my eyes. "What's your name?" I didn't respond. "I'm Damien." I stayed silent, and then I felt a piece of wood hit me in the back, one Damien had thrown at me. I looked up, arching one eyebrow. Was he five? He sighed. "Fine, point taken, I'll shut up." I smiled slightly into my arm, relaxing now that I knew he wouldn't throw any more stuff at me. Damien sat in silence, and below us the others talked or fought. A couple of the anxious vampires started fighting, and I opened one eye to watch. A big guy and a shrill girl were soon screaming at each other. I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "I'll pay you five hundred dollars to go down there and beat the crap out of them." Damien said, following my gaze. "I don't have the money on me, but I'd go steal it from Victoria if you can shut them up."

I grinned slowly, proud that he thought I could beat up both of them and amused by his honest humor, "I'll hold you to that."

"Hey! You can talk!" Damien exclaimed dramatically, staring at the sky in amazement. "It's a miracle, thank you God!" Ripping a small piece of wood off the beam, I threw it at Damien's head, hearing it smack into the side of his skull with satisfaction.

He glared back at me, but I just smirked, "You started it." Damien rubbed the side of his head dramatically as the yelling below us escalated into pushing. I sat up, looking down at them with irritation, "How often does this happen?"

"Whenever they get too thirsty fights break out, always the youngest ones." Damien answered with similar annoyance. "Give it a few hours and you'll get in a fight too." A larger man, an older vampire, stepped forward and finally broke the fight up, separating both parties.

I made a mental vow to prove him wrong. "So you're older than them, vampire wise?"

"I was the third she made, after the dude with the badly dyed green hair, and that moody girl in the corner." Damien said, pointing out both vampires, who were noticeably calmer than the others, if a bit more aggravated at the disturbance.

"What number am I?" I tried to count the mass of vampires below, but they were moving too much.

"You're the twenty first." Damien said it with a grimace.

That was a lot of new vampires, all of whom seemed difficult to control and annoying to feed. "Why is she doing this?"

"We're her army, and she's going to use us to take revenge against the vampires who killed her mate." Damien explained it while rolling his eyes.

"I take it you don't want to go to war." I watched him, wondering what kind of guy he had been. He had spikey dark hair in a fohawk, fairly well built, but not a jock, he gave off a loner vibe. I wondered why he came to talk to me, if he was truly what he seemed. Maybe he was playing a game here too, and that thought scared me, because I wanted a friend.

"I'm not a soldier." Damien answered, a strange look in his reflective eye, but I did not get the chance to inquire further, because the next meal was here. I could hear the bus coming down the gravel driveway, and the room went silent, every being tensing as they waited. "Whatever you do, try not to breathe. It'll drive you crazy." Damien's advice seemed sound, and I made a mental note to keep from breathing, which apparently was not necessary. Victoria reappeared and trotted gracefully outside as the bus came to a stop. The doors clanged open, and there was an apprehensive moment where she talked to whoever was on that bus, her words phrased in the same calming tone she had used with me.

Turning to Damien, I mouthed the words, "Who are they?"

Damien mouthed his words dryly, "Food." A ball of hot lead formed in my stomach, a sinking feeling as I heard voices answer Victoria. Rose was twitching in the corner, the big guy who had been yelling a few minutes ago was now pacing silently, and on every face hunger was written, blood lust permeating the air. The whole thing made me sick, but just the fleeting thought of blood was enough to drive me halfway insane, make me stay. The emotions must have shown on my face, because I caught Damien watching me, judging me with an indiscernible look in his red eyes. I wondered what he saw, but a part of me was afraid to find out. Either way, I didn't have the chance to ask, because the next second a long, piercing whistle resounded through the air, and everyone ran. I hesitated, standing on the beam, and my whole body vibrated with need and the virtue which fought it. Damien glanced at me, but was gone the next second, leaving me with the older vampire who was in charge of breaking up fights. Then the screams started, and my resolve was quickly fading. The older vampire still watched. I was sick of these assholes watching me, judging me, waiting for me to make a move so they could figure me out. Maybe it would be safer to blend in, maybe it would keep me from such strict watch, maybe I just needed an excuse to get out there; I was over thinking this and either way I couldn't wait much longer. Jumping down, I ran outside and into the fray, fighting for my right to feed.

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><p>AN: Just a preview, if anyone is interested, let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

Damien was right, I was getting tense, ready to fight, but not because of the thirst. It was my captivity that made me restless, made me ready to snap at everything that moved. I couldn't just sit around all day and wait to be fed; this would not work, especially not with all the power I now held. "Settle down." Damien said as I paced back and forth on my beam. "You're starting to piss me off." He was sitting on his own beam, leaning against another, and watching me tranquilly.

I stopped pacing and crossed my arms, "Why don't you go talk to her?" I nodded my head at the pretty brunette below us, one he had been staring at for the past twenty minutes. Damien immediately blushed, averting his eyes, and I smirked – he had thought he was being sneaky, but I'd noticed that longing gaze. "You had no problem bugging me, why not her?"

"You were weird and outcast, a little bit scary, but she's different." Damien explained, ignoring my glare at his description of me. "She's always surrounded by guys, because she's nice and funny and beautiful." Wow, he really liked this chick. I looked down at her, trying to see what he saw, but not really getting it; all the girls here were beautiful. Maybe it was a guy thing to fall for the popular girl. "Her name's Clara and she was number twelve."

"What does she like?" I asked, wondering how they could find some common ground.

Damien sighed, gaze far away, "She likes flowers and pretty things. Clara usually takes care of the newborns, if you weren't so crazy she'd be up here right now too." So she was girly and liked to take care of people – I could work with that. Making a snap decision, I pounced onto Damien's beam and kicked him off without a second thought. He crashed to the ground with a crack, and sure enough Clara was the first one by his side, fawning over him and cradling his head. I grinned, ignoring the glares of everyone else that looked my way; I was a good wingman, well wing-woman, though that wasn't really a thing yet. The crowd began dissipating, until just Damien and Clara were sitting together, laughing when he cracked a joke, one that was most likely at my expense. He wasn't doing as bad as I thought he would. I watched their exchange for a while, he was actually doing well.

I turned my attention elsewhere, watching Victoria's two assistants. They were both men, in their thirties, which set them apart because all of Victoria's newborns were in their late teens or twenties. They looked like brothers, their hair the same hue of brown, shaved closed to the scalp in an army cut. Victoria was obviously the leader, and these two men were helping her, but I couldn't understand why. I would go ask them, but they never talked to us unless they had to, and even then their words were brisk. Something about their air assured me I would be shut down if I tried to communicate with them, so who else was there? Damien was the only vampire who had approached me, and after pushing him off a ledge I doubted any others would try. Victoria was the only one left, and I didn't like it. But she walked in right as I thought her name, and maybe that was a sign.

Behind her was another new vampire, a twitchy guy who had blood smeared on his clothes. A few of the others immediately stepped forward, drawn in by the smell, but Victoria gave them nothing yet, and it had been a good twenty four hours since our last feeding so they were on edge. It would make more sense to feed us before the new one, so that there wasn't this much tension. And then I realized she was doing this on purpose. She would bring in the new guy, wait for him to get in a fight, and then judge how he did – it was all a part of her plan. In horror, I watched as a mere five minutes later Tyler took a swing at him, and the two fought it out. The new guy lost, pinned within thirty seconds, while Victoria watched calculatingly. Only after Tyler had him pinned did her hand twitch and the taller assistant pulled the men apart. I sat, stunned, but everyone else simply watched the fight, seeing this as completely normal. I studied each face, desperately trying to find someone who was not simply watching the fight. My eyes raked over every vampire, and I nearly jumped when I found red eyes looking back at me. It was man with jet black hair and a somber look upon his strong features, but his gaze was a sharp as a hawk's, and focused on mine. Getting over my apprehension at his stare, I motioned for him to join me. His eyes darted to Victoria, and I got the sense that he did not want her to see the exchange between us. I nodded my understanding, and turned from him. He would join me once she was gone.

A few minutes later Victoria spoke quietly to the supervising vampires, and left us. When people separated into groups and the noise level rose, he leapt up beside me. There was a tense second where we measured each other, a predatory instinct that made me immediately want to attack him coming forth, but it was repressed. After we decided not to kill each other, he introduced himself, "I'm Elijah."

I extended my hand to take his, "Alani."

"You noticed something when they fought, what?" Elijah got straight to the point.

"It's a test. She brings them in smelling like blood when we're all thirsty, and she watches us fight." I answered, trying to gauge his reaction. He agreed with my point but there was more to it. "What do you see?"

"It's the third test, and there are five that I've seen." Elijah said. "But those are just the ones I've picked up on."

"Have I passed?" It shouldn't matter to me, but it did.

"Three out of five," Elijah answered without hesitation, and I raised my eyebrows in question, prompting his next answer. "You came through the poison fine, but you paused before killing both times we were fed. You asserted yourself and won the first fight with flying colors, but you separated from the others instead of becoming a leader."

"And the fifth test?"

"You were late to join the feeding, but you were still able to catch a large human and drain him alone." It wasn't an easy task with twenty other vampires breathing down my neck. "You drink enough, and you keep your strength up. See Ian down there?" Elijah pointed to a sickly looking kid who was lying in a corner. "He hasn't gotten much in the past few weeks, and now he isn't strong enough to fight for it. Unless Victoria throws him a bone, he'll die by the end of the night."

"We have to help him." I said immediately. "We can't let him die."

Elijah looked at me strangely, "And why not? We kill humans every day; they lose their lives, why can't he lose his?" I had never thought of it like that. We were all killers, so wouldn't it be best for us to perish?

"It still seems wrong." I decided after a moment of thought. "We can't stop killing humans, but we can stop that vampire from dying." I placed my hands on my hips, a new resolve flooding me. "I'm going to save him." Jumping down from my perch, and leaving Elijah in a stunned silence, I walked over to Ian, who only looked worse up close. He was deathly pale, with yellowish tinges, darker than his light blond hair, and he had dark purple circles under his eyes, which were an extremely light red. "Hello Ian, I'm Alani." I extended my hand, and pulled the kid to his feet when he placed his hand in mine, so I could get a good look at him. He was wiry and tall, a little dorky, but a cute dork. "Now, when the bus full of people arrives, you're going to stay right behind me and I'm going to help you out, understand?" Dumbfounded he just stared at me. Reaching over, I smacked the kid on the side of his head. "Hey, tune in here, I'm trying to save you."

"Uh, okay." Ian finally answered, rubbing the side of his head. Wow this guy really was slow; I hoped it was the lack of blood that made him stupid.

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><p>I spent the next couple hours sitting by Ian, who was somewhat comatose, and hoped he wouldn't die before I could get some blood into him. "Why are you going to help me?" His voice was quiet, weak.<p>

"Because it's the right thing to do," I answered decisively. I didn't know if he heard me, because the next moment he had lapsed away from me, eyes shut. I should have noticed him sooner, if he died part of the blame would be on me, and rightfully so. I wondered if saving him was another test. Maybe I should give up, instead of falling into Victoria's trap… but when I looked at Ian I knew I had to save him, even if it was a test.

It seemed like days later when the bus pulled up and the room when silent, but it wasn't much longer than an hour. I didn't know where she was getting these people, but, as the thirst became horribly tangible, I stopped caring where our victims came from; I just wanted their blood. I stood and pulled a shaky Ian up beside me. "You stay close." I muttered under my breath, looking at him seriously and willing him into semi consciousness. The doors slid open and I darted out, holding his hand and pulling him through the crowd. I raced to the front, looking for the largest male in the group. These ones all seemed to be from a prison transport; a bunch of big guys who didn't understand what was about to happen to them. At least I wouldn't feel bad about killing this group. I quickly found the biggest one, but one of the larger vampires, a guy named Samuel, was already there. He was the dominant male here, the ruling alpha, but Ian was swaying on his feet, so I had no choice. "Samuel; that one is mine!" I yelled with a bravery I did not feel, and everyone froze, turning to look. Samuel cocked his head to the side, measuring me, and then he laughed, obviously thinking this was a joke. I couldn't blame him, because I was a third of his size and new here. "I'm not fucking around here Sam. That one is mine." I needed to assert myself quickly.

"If I get a say in this," The prisoner spoke up, "I choose her."

He threw a dirty look my way, kissing the air, and I grinned. "Well the convicted blood bag has spoken."

"He's mine." Samuel snarled, showing long fangs, but he would not scare me off. Instead I slid into a crouch, and waved him forward. Fighting as a vampire was different from fighting as a human, but now there was an animalistic instinct already telling me what to do. However he was bigger than me and would fight with the same instinct, so I had to fight him differently. Instinct told me to leap at his head, to tear it off, and that was the first move he made. I ducked down, and darted forward, tackling him by the legs. When we fell to the ground he kicked me off, sending me flying through the air and into a tree. The oak broke with a crack, and I hissed in pain. Samuel smirked and turned away, but I stood back up, dusted off my pants, and yelled, "Again!" I would not attack him with his back turned, I was not taught to fight like that. Samuel faced me, obviously angry that he couldn't drink his prize, and charged forward with more force. This time I went over. I placed my hands on his shoulders and flipped over him. Landing on my feet, I rammed my shoulder into his back before he could turn around. Samuel was thrown forward and crashed into a tree, face first. I stepped back and waited for him to rise, the rage now clear on his features. I raised one eyebrow, wondering if he would admit defeat, but he charged, faster than before. He knew both of my other tricks, so this time I stood my ground. I braced my feet until the very last second, then darted to the side, and tripped him. He fell to the ground with a thud, and this time I didn't wait for him to get back up. I crouched in an animalistic way over him, grabbed his head by the hair, yanked him upward, and fastened my fangs to his neck. That move was completely controlled by instinct, and it disgusted me, but we all now knew that I had won.

Releasing him, I stepped back, refusing to look at Victoria, who was clapping, and grabbed Ian. I threw his arm over my shoulder, and brought him to my prize, what I had fought so hard for. The man shirked away from me, and for a second I was foolishly proud of the fear in his eyes. It was another thing which would disgust me later, but power had an irresistible pull on the human soul. I pushed Ian towards him, but the vampire didn't raise his head. With a sigh, I put him on the ground, and grabbed the prisoner myself. Taking his arm, I bit into a vein, and tried to make Ian drink, but his could not summon the strength to suck the blood. His eyes stayed closed, his body motionless. "Just let him die, he is a weakling, one who does not deserve life." Victoria purred into my ear, and I wondered when she had gotten so close to me. "Enjoy what you fought for, you deserve this blood." No, I would not let this kid die, not after everything I had just done.

"Who gave you the right to decide who lives and dies?" I hissed, snarling into her face with vehemence, and making her step back. Taking the man's arm, I sucked a mouthful of blood in, and forced myself not to swallow. It was the most difficult thing I had ever done, to taste that blood and not indulge, but someone's life hung in the balance. Taking Ian's prone form, I pressed my mouth to his, and let the blood fall from my lips. For a second nothing happened, and I began massaging his throat, praying this would work. Slowly, he swallowed the blood, and I smiled in triumph. I repeated the action two more times, and then his eyes opened. Yanking the struggling prisoner down the ground, I handed the wrist to Ian, who began to drink of his own volition, holding the prisoner on his own and draining him. I stood with a smirk, watching the scene victoriously. Damien, who had already finished his meal, rolled his eyes at my cockiness. Elijah looked at me with more respect, and once again Victoria was analyzing me. _Fine, analyze away bitch, I won this round._

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><p>AN: Posted for the few people who decided to read.


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